Project Report

Project report is a kind of academic exercise students in tertiary institutions undertake in partial fulfilment for the award of diploma or degree certificates. Projects are outcome of a research conducted in line with the department’s requirements.

Steps in Writing Project Report

A)      Planning Stage

-          Define the purpose for writing the project.

-          Selection of topic involves a brief research, selection of suitable topics and submitting them for approval.  Only one will be approved.

-          Chart a tentative outline.

B)      Data Collection Stage

-          Define sources of data (primary and secondary sources)

-          Define note-taking techniques   (electronic or manual).

-          Define instruments for data collection and research design.

-          Research and collect data.

C)      Data Analysis Stage

-          Define analytical methods and procedures.

-          Define theoretical approaches.

-          Analyse data and record findings.

D)      Writing Project Report:  This includes presentation of outcome of research in an orderly and approved manner.  Project reports are segmented to three parts:  preliminary pages, report section and documentation section.

Parts of a Project Report

Preliminary Pages

i)                   Cover Page:  Cover page contains the title of the project, name of the writer, month and year it is submitted to the department.

ii)                 Title Page

iii)               Certification page

iv)               Approval Page

v)                  Dedication Page

vi)               Acknowledgements

vii)             Table of Contents

viii)           List of Tables

ix)               List of Figures

x)                  Abstract

1. Main Project

i)                   Chapter One – General Introduction

-          Background to the Study:  This sub-section discusses what led to the research, how to go about the research, basic assumptions about the research and the importance of the research.

-          Objectives of the Study:  Objectives for the study are itemized and are made to agree with research questions.

-          Research Problem:  It explains the problem that the research intends to solve.  In academics, it shows gap(s) in research which the project intends to fill.  The problem may be sociological, political, cultural, etc.  

-          Research Questions:  This subsection itemises the questions that guide the research.  The questions are formulated to agree with the objectives.

-          Significance of the Study: It shows the importance of the project.

-          Delimitation of the Study:  The scope of the study is explained here.  It shows the areas of the topic the project will cover and why it is limited to such areas.

-          Research Limitations:  This subsection explains constraints experienced during research.

Chapter Two:  Review of Related Literature

Chapter two reviews existing literatures related to the topic and theme of the project. The review includes showing what the reviewed article has done, results and conclusions reached as well as the writer’s comment on what marks the reviewed articles off from the present study.

Chapter Three:  Methodology

Methodology includes approaches adopted in data collection and data analysis.  It will also explain research design and instrument(s) used for data collection.  The chapter will also explain theoretical approaches that guide data discussion.

Chapter Four:  Data Presentation and Analysis

-          Data Presentation:  Data collected from research are systematically arranged either in tables, diagrams, charts or as excerpts, depending of the nature of data collected.

-          Data Analysis: It includes the use of relevant theories or models to examine and explain the data collected.

-          Results and Findings:  Explanation of findings is also part of chapter four.

Chapter Five:  Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations

-          Summary subsection highlights salient points raised in each chapter.

-          Conclusions:  Issues established based on the outcome of research.

-          Recommendations:  Recommendations are made based on the outcome of research.

References

Reference section alphabetically shows sources of data especially those directly quoted in the body of the report.  It is good to use approved documentation style e.g. APA. MLA, etc.